


Split

by fullhomo



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, Blood, Blurryface, But ill try not to make everything about it sad, Freeform, Gore, M/M, im really sorry im a sadist when it comes to fanfics i love sad fanfics im that bitch
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-24
Updated: 2016-11-25
Packaged: 2018-09-01 21:01:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8637904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fullhomo/pseuds/fullhomo
Summary: Josh was standing at his apartment door after that 11 hour work shift, fumbling with his keys, anxious to get in and just go the hell to bed. He was exhausted.He unlocked his door, walking in and shutting it behind him. Josh walked a few feet in the darkness of the kitchen and reached his arm to flip the light switch on. Suddenly, something- or a more accurate guess, someone, grabbed his extended arm, along with the one still at his side, and quickly bent and pinned them to his back. Before Josh had time to process what was happening, his body was being slammed face first into the wall. Though still pitch black in the apartment, the intruder began to speak."So you're the guy Tyler never shuts the fuck up about."Oddly enough, Josh knew that voice. And it was.. Tyler?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> woo-hoo this is my first fic im gonna try to make it good sorry if I disappoint

"Fuck!" Josh exclaimed from the back of the café, hoping no one, especially customers, had heard him. He had spilled his 3rd drink today, and was starting to get pissed off at himself, giving himself a mental, and okay, maybe also a physical slap. This was a sort of usual occurrence though. Josh was clumsiness in the human form.

"Might want to clean that up before Jenna sees, my guy," a man said, approaching Josh from behind. Rolling his eyes already and not even bothering to turn around to face Brendon, Josh grabbed paper towels from the shelf in front of him and started wiping up the spilled vanilla frappuchino.

Brendon was one of his closest co-workers, he was a little (okay, maybe much more than a little) bit of a pothead, but that's alright, Josh doesn't judge. He's always there for Josh, and helped him get over his anxiety when he first started working at the small yet busy corner café. And although Josh still had anxiety attacks in the bathroom every now and then at work, he couldn't imagine how much worse his anxiety would be if he didn't have Brendon here.

Another thing that was amazing about Brendon was that he encouraged Josh to express and love himself. He had struggled to come to terms with his sexuality in the past, as his parents taught him that homosexuality was unnatural and that he was going to hell. But Brendon helped turn Josh's focus off his parents and their beliefs so he could live his life and be happy. Funny though, Josh was basically the gay guy steriotype that every straight white girl pictures, working as a barista and all, except for, you know, the deep voice and the fiery red dyed hair. He looked like a punk that got lost on his way to Hot Topic.

"Jenna wants to see you by the way. Said you aren't in trouble but that you probably won't be super excited about what she has to tell you," Brendon said, hoping not to upset Josh too much more than he already was. But Josh only signed and replied with an annoyed "alright."

He got up and started making his way towards Jenna's office. Once he reached her door, he tapped on it while peeking in, and walked in after Jenna made a 'come in' gesture with her hand. 

"Hello Josh. So besides the spilling of all the drinks," she paused and gave him an obviously fake angry look, "You're one of my best employees. And speaking of employees, I need you to train a man for the next few days. I trust him in your hands. Think you can do that?"

In his mind, Josh was groaning. Great. Another thing his anxiety can obsess and worry about. Nonetheless, he smiled and responded. "I'd be happy to, yeah no problem at all." 

"That's great! Thank you so much. He'll be here around 8am," Jenna said. To say the least, Josh was not excited and he knew that Jenna could see right through him.

"Alright, I'll make sure to be here. What's his name?" Josh asked.

"Tyler. Tyler Joseph."


	2. Chapter 2

The sound of Josh's alarm was the most bittersweet noise he could hear. On the negative side, he never wanted to get up and go to work. On the positive side, it shook him out of the nightmares that his anxiety medication gives him. He once brought it up with his doctor, and he told Josh to try 'controlling his dreams'. Because that helped _so_ much. Whatever.

He awoke with that same usual beeping sound, and slapped the button to turn off that noise that sounded like a bomb about to go off. So pleasant. Josh told himself he could lay down for a bit more, but then remembered about the man he had to train today. _Fuckkkkk_. He definitely didn't want to be late and piss Jenna off. She was scary as hell when she was angry, Josh was convinced she turned into Satan himself (or herself, makes more sense). 

Josh changed, brushed his teeth, and started combing through his hair. Damn, he needed to redye it, it was fading like a bitch. Not appealing. But he couldn't worry about that now, so he set his comb down and slipped on his shoes before walking out his apartment door.

He arrived at the café at 7:43. Though a little late (his arrival time was 7:30), he was sure Jenna would be lenient. Hopefully. Josh clocked in and walked into the back room to get his apron. The first thing he noticed was a man sitting in the lone wooden chair in the corner (a fairly attractive man to be honest). Josh had never seen him before. "Um, hi. Who are you?" Josh asked, trying to sound polite.

The man looked up and sternly yet kindly replied, "My name's Tyler. I'm new here and I'm getting trained today by some guy named Josh." Tyler did a one shoulder shrug.

Oh. This was Tyler. "Well, that would be me. I'm Josh, nice to meet you dude." Josh held out his hand to shake Tyler's, and for a split second it looked like he hesitated before reaching out his own hand and grasping Josh's.

After a quick talk with Jenna, Josh jumped right into training Tyler. And holy fuck, did he have to mention that Tyler was _HOT_. It was hard to stay focused without staring at the features perfectly chiseled on his face and his body that seemed like it was sculpted by gods. Focus Josh, focus. No time for crushes.

It was going good for a while. Tyler seemed like he was adjusting pretty fast. Currently, Josh was showing him how to make different drinks, and reassuring Tyler that it was a lot but he would likely naturally memorize them all. Suddenly, when Josh glanced over, he noticed Tyler looked distressed, almost as if he was in pain. He gripped the edge of the counter and started slightly rocking back and fourth, squeezing his eyes tightly shut and shaking his head a bit. Not too much to cause a huge scene, but enough that a couple customers were looking over with confusion on their faces. What should Josh do?

"Are you alright? Do you need something like tylenol, tums, water??" Josh asked. Tyler only shook his head faster.

"No, I um- i have, I need to go to the bathroom real quick sorry," Tyler said, in a matter of a few seconds. Almost as fast as he spit out that sentence, Tyler was gone, rushing to the bathroom. What just happened?

Maybe he got sick. Should Josh follow him and make sure he's alright, or stay here and wait for him to come back? Josh went with the latter, and tried focusing on taking a customer's order instead.

It was 10 minutes before Tyler came back. He looked suddenly drained, and sad? But Josh had only just met this man today, no need to make Tyler spill his thoughts to him. 

"You good?" Josh asked, and with a slight nod Tyler was back to working, and that was the end of it.

If only Josh could read minds. He could see the torture Tyler was going through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol in the beginning paragraph, the doctor and anxiety med thing with nightmares actually happened to me it was such bullshit WHATEVER sorry if this sucked this is a new thing to me


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've realized im a sucky writer bc idk I move too fast but eh 
> 
> okay in italics is blurryface just in case that's confusing
> 
> trigger warning for mention of animal deaths and blood

Tyler was at his own apartment, going through his usual, horrid routine. Blurryface harassing him, and trying to take control.

Okay, Tyler often thought Blurryface was a stupid name for, well, his other half? He didn't exactly know what Blurryface even was. A demon? Maybe. But whatever he was, Tyler was sure his only goal was to ruin his life.

Blurryface was a violence-driven monster. When he took over, His eyes turned blood red. His hands and neck turned an ashy black. Tyler could still see everything happening, but he was basically helpless. Taking back control was one of the most tiring things Tyler had to do. He's has had to witness his own hands kill innocent cats, dogs, and a variety of other animals. He couldn't have pets, they would all end up brutally dead. His hands would be covered in blood and he couldn't move, almost like he was paralyzed. Blurry couldn't feel pain, Tyler could feel everything. He hurt Tyler often. But thankfully, Blurry hasn't killed any humans (knock on wood). 

_Sorry to interrupt your training today, Ty. What a shame._

"You're a fucking asshole, it was my first day, now everyone probably thinks I'm fucking mentally insane."

_Aren't you, in a sense darling?_

"No, _you_ are. I would be perfectly fine and normal without you. Go to hell.

_Damn, I thought you would know by now not to use that kind of attitude with me._

Tyler suddenly had the throbbing headache he had become used to feeling, which meant Blurry trying to take control. He put his hands around his temple, pathetically trying to ease the inevitable pain. He didn't fight it. When he was home, he didn't really try to keep Blurry away. All his energy to fight back was spread out throughout the day when he was in public. He just prepared himself to be hurt in some way.

~

The clock read 9:21pm and Tyler was sitting on his couch writing. He liked to write songs, they were pretty depressing and private, but it was a nice way to relieve his feelings. He was exhausted after fighting Blurry, and had bruises around his neck from him choking Tyler. But Tyler knew he was never going to kill him, Blurry needed this body, it was his vessel. Tyler had only been back to normal for about half an hour. He was enjoying it while he could, even though the fucking asshole was still whispering insults. 

All Tyler could think about though, was Josh.

He was beautiful. When Tyler first looked up at him, he thought Josh was an angel. In all the years that he had been alive, he wasn't sure he had ever seen someone so breathtaking. And his voice? It was smooth and flowy, like a natural stress reliever, like butter in the au Tyler wishes he could record every word Josh spoke and play it over and over every single day of his life (okay, maybe that's a little creepy Tyler chill out). The kindness in Josh might be Tyler's favorite part. All throughout the day that man was offering to help someone every 5 minutes, even if they really didn't need it. When Tyler had come back after escaping to the bathroom, he could see the pure concern in Josh's face, he knew he really cared. You can't forget about that body though. Josh had broad shoulders, and it made him look so huge and muscular. He could probably do so many things to Tyler. God only knows how good it must feel to get fu-

_Good god will you shut the fuck up? ___

Oh yeah. Blurry still existed (bummer), and knew Tyler's thoughts. _You met this man today. You're basically strangers. Are you that fucking stupid, Tyler? I guess how long you've known him doesn't matter, he would never want you anyways. Nobody would ever want you, you know that silly._

"What, are you mad because im happy? Is someone upset because they aren't getting what they want?"

Blurry would be taking over right now if Tyler's confidence wasn't so high at the moment. He had a cocky smile on his face, he loved pissing him off even though he knew he would pay for it later.

Tyler thought about Josh for the rest of the night, clearly pissing off Blurryface. He fell asleep smiling for the first time in possibly years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this isnt that good and I didn't really want to post it but ¯\\_(ツ)_/ ¯
> 
> happy thanksgiving I think this holiday is kinda bullshit but meh


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so anxiety is a big part of this because I have a severe anxiety disorder and im starting cyber school soon because it's just that bad, so idk i just thought I'd share a personal aspect of this

It was only Tuesday, and Josh felt like a walking dead man. He was so exhausted, mentally and physically. He didn't know how he would last the rest of the week.

Josh was in the middle of making a latte for a woman when a hand on his shoulder startled him. It only took him a second or two to know that it was Brendon.

"Boy, do you seem completely out of whack. What's bothering you dude?" Brendon asked, with obviously concern in his face. Josh turned and gave him a small smile. Nobody cared for Josh enough to ever ask him if he was alright, not even his own parents.

"I'm good," Josh replied. "Just didn't get a lot of sleep last night. I'll be fine."

It wasn't a complete lie. Josh really didn't get as much sleep as he wish he would've. But one particular and repetitive nightmare kept shaking him awake from his sleep. Usually, none were that bad, but something caused this one to be enough that his body couldn't handle it. The dream wasn't pleasant. Josh would be laying on his bed and a man with red eyes would slowly open the door to the room. Only the outline of him, and his blood red eyes were visible, and he didn't speak. So Josh didn't know who it was. The man started walking closer to Josh. But he couldn't move out of his spot on the bead, he was frozen. The man kept walking closer and closer before staring overtop of Josh. He pulled out a suddenly visible knife, raising it above Josh. Just before the man was about to plunge the knife into him, Josh woke up in a panic, sweat coating him and his heartbeat seeming to go a million beats per minute. 

So yeah, last night could've been better.

"Okay, just tell me if you need anything," Brendon flashed a smile. "Hey, that guy you're training is acting pretty damn weird. What's his name, Tyler? He just seems off, I don't know. And he's jumpy." 

Josh saw Tyler briefly this morning. They had finished his training on Thursday of last week and for the most part, it seemed like Tyler was getting the hang of things. They had been talking a lot too. Josh learned that Tyler had lived in Columbus his whole life. How had Josh lived here this long and never met Tyler? He missed out for a long, long time. Tyler said his parents had always wanted him to go into the NBA, and Tyler had wanted to at first as well. But he soon lost interest in basketball and turned his focus towards music. Once Tyler said that, Josh desperately wondered how Tyler's voice sounded. Probably like a fucking angel.

When Tyler first walked in this morning, Josh noticed faint bruises on his neck and though they could've from a girlfriend getting frisky with him (which Josh didn't really want to think about), he couldn't help but feel a tad bit worried that someone hurt him instead. Why the fuck did Josh care so much? He literally met this guy last week, slow the hell down.

"Josh, can you take these boxes to the back room please? They're in the way," Jenna said from behind him. Fuck, she asked him to do that about an hour ago. He nodded and apologized for forgetting about them, and started walking with them heaved up in his arms.

The door to the back room was already open a tad bit, and as Josh walked towards it he could hear a voice coming from inside. He recognized it as he neared, it was Tyler. What was he doing in there? Maybe he was chatting with another employee, but Josh didn't hear another voice in the room. Josh set the boxes down outside the door and peeked in. Nobody but Tyler was in there, pacing back and fourth with his hands across his fourhead. He kept repeating things, like "Not now please," "You can't do this," and "They don't need to know. You're going to cost me my job and I just got it." What was Tyler talking about?

Suddenly, Tyler seemed like he was hyperventilating. "Leave me alone," he started repeating over and over, raising his voice a little with each time. It got to the point where Tyler was almost yelling.

"Leave me alone! Leave me the fuck alone, just one fucking day, please!"

Josh couldn't take it anymore. He had to calm Tyler down from whatever he was freaking out about, before Jenna, or probably even worse, customers heard. Josh pushed the door open causing Tyler to jump and widen his eyes at Josh.

"Fuck! Oh my god you didn't hear any of that did you? Fucking hell!" Tyler raised his voice, and Josh wasn't sure if he was upset at himself, or Josh for seeming like he was eavesdropping.

"Tyler, it's alright. Calm down, please calm down I don't want you to get in trouble. What's wrong? Please talk to me."

Tyler only violently shook his head. "No. Fuck, I'm fine, I talk to myself often. Sorry if that startled you, yeah I'm fine." With that, Tyler was pushing past Josh and out the door.

Okay, what just happened?

All Josh thought about for the rest of the day was Tyler. He would glace over at him occasionally, making sure he was alright. He seemed okay, for the most part. But what Josh had witnessed earlier had broke his heart. Whatever set Tyler off, he didn't deserve. Josh already knew Tyler was a good person that deserved to be alright. Sure, he hadnt known him for the longest time, but somehow Josh knew it. Josh knew Tyler was a good person, and in some alternate universe, Josh was waking up with him every day cooking him a nice breakfast and making sure Tyler was okay, every day.

Okay, damn. Josh had a tenancy to get attached easily, but not this fast. This was ridiculous.

~

It was 8:34pm when Josh saw Tyler heading towards the front door of the resteraunt. He knew his shift didn't end until 9, and he didn't want him getting in trouble with Jenna. Maybe he had already talked to her. After all, there was no customers in the cafe, and him and Tyler were the only two employees working. "Hey, Tyler hold up," Josh said, causing Tyler to turn his head around.

"Oh, hey Josh. Listen, I'm sorry for earlier. I know I probably freaked you out, but it's nothing to worry. I just, I don't know. I talk to myself a lot. Please don't be concerned, I was just having a rough day is all."

Josh nodded his head. "It's okay. I shouldn't have intruded. I just didn't want you to get in trouble with Jenna. I really care about you. I can tell you want and need this job so I didn't want you losing it over that reason. But I won't do it again if you want. It wasn't my business. Just let me know if you need anythi-"

Suddenly, Tyler lurched foreward, landing his lips on Josh's.

Holy fuck.

Tyler was kissing him. Tyler was kissing Josh.

It was indescribable. It felt like the world around them was completely quite, like nothing else mattered. Josh melted into the kiss. Neither wanted to stop, even though they had to eventually. Tyler pulled back slowly, opening his eyes to look at a wide-eyed Josh. Tyler suddenly felt frantic.

"Holy fuck, I'm so sorry. I-I shouldn't have done that. That wasn't appropriate of me. I have- i have it go im so so sorry." Before Josh even had time to react, Tyler was out the door, rushing to his car. Josh should've followed him and let him know it was alright (much more than alright), but his body seemed like it was stuck. He was in shock. Did that just happen?

When 9 'o clock finally arrived, Josh was thankful. It's not like he had gotten much done since Tyler left, though. All he could think about was him. His soft lips, and smooth skin, Josh felt ethereal. He just hoped he didn't ruin anything, he hoped Tyler didn't regret kissing him.

Nevertheless, Josh got in his car and started driving home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shits about to go down my dudes skeet skeet


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so when blurry is in control Tyler's in italics and vise versa, applies to the rest of the fic x

When Tyler got home, Blurryface took over almost immediately. He didn't care at this point, he deserved it.

"Oh Tyler, you fucked up didn't you?" Blurry was laughing at him. Josh would never talk to him again.

_I love him. I know it's early to be saying things like that, but I've never felt this for someone. I can probably fix it, though. Maybe we could stay friends. That would work for me, as long as I don't lose him completely._

"Bullshit, he's straight as a board and you know it. He probably is at home right now, scrubbing his lips violently to get your awful taste off them. I'm fucking tired of hearing about Josh, Tyler. You don't deserve to be happy like that."

Just then, Blurry had an idea. "I know how to fuck this up for you big time, much more than you already have, just in case Josh is an idiot and actually still plans on sticking around with you. After this, he'll never come near you again, might even quit his job to get away from you."

And with that, Blurry was grabbing the car keys off the counter and walking out the door with a smirk on his face, while Tyler was screaming in his head trying to fight back and prevent Blurryface from doing whatever he had planned to do to Josh.

~

Josh was standing at his apartment door after that 11 hour work shift, fumbling with his keys, anxious to get in and just go the hell to bed. He was exhausted.

He unlocked his door, walking in and shutting it behind him. Josh walked a few feet in the darkness of the kitchen and reached his arm to flip the light switch on. Suddenly, something- or a more accurate guess, someone, grabbed his extended arm, along with the one still at his side, and quickly bent and pinned them to his back. Before Josh had time to process what was happening, his body was being slammed face first into the wall. Though still pitch black in the apartment, the intruder began to speak.

"So you're the guy Tyler never shuts the fuck up about."

Oddly enough, Josh knew that voice. And it was.. Tyler?

"Wait, Tyler? W-what's going on? What are you talking abou-" He was suddenly being pulled away from the wall, and 'Tyler' stood behind him and stuck a blade up to his throat, still holding back Josh's arms. His blood went cold with fear.

"Don't talk. Walk to your bathroom. Now," Josh was told, and didn't hesitate. He stepped down the hall slowly (it was hard to walk when a knife was being held up almost against your neck) and opened the bathroom door. 'Tyler' pushed him in agressively, stepped in with him, and locked the door behind them both, pointing the blade directly at Josh. This is when he noticed Tyler's eyes were bright red, and his hands and neck were covered in something black. Was he going insane?

"Listen, I-I don't know what I did bu-"

"Stop. Talking." Josh was commanded, and he didn't dare disobey that order. For all he knew it could cost him his life.

"I'm not Tyler. But you should know the poor thing is practically sobbing right now, fighting so hard to make me stop. I'm not going to, so I don't understand why he's even trying."

"Who are you?" Josh said shakily, almost in tears.

"Tyler named me Blurryface. I'm like a demon that lives inside him. That time Tyler rushed to the bathroom? That was me. When Tyler was freaking out in the back room today? All me. I exist to make sure he's not happy, that's the last thing he deserves. All he needs is to suffer. So I ask you, what do you think you're doing to try to change my plans, hm Josh?"

It took everything in Josh to speak. The words were caught in his throat at first. This was happening all so quickly, one second he was just walking into his apartment and the next he almost got murdered, and was currently talking to a demon that lived inside Tyler that still might kill him? This is one for the books. "Why do you do that to him? Why is he not allowed to be happy. Everyone deserves to be. Except you. You can burn in hell. I know Tyler, and he doesn't deserve this, whatever you are."

Blurry laughed, and straightened his arm that was holding the knife towards Josh. "Oh darling, you don't know Tyler at all. He _created_ me, through his own insane thoughts. He was the one that originally had this violent mindset, thus where I saw my opportunity to take over and use his vessel to my advantage. I could act out the violence he pictures until he got the balls to do them himself. He's a monster. So far, after all these years he's still being a stubborn little bitch about it. So my new goal is to ruin his life, take away his happiness, since he failed my expectations."

"You're a LIAR. Tyler is a good man, with a big heart. FUCK YOU!" Josh then spit in Blurry's eye.

Blurry shook his head, and whispered a 'fucking hell'. "You little bitch. Shouldn't have done that." Blurry started nearing Josh with the knife. Then, he suddenly tackled him, sending Josh to the floor with Blurry atop him. Before Josh had time to think, Blurry's black ashy hands were around his throat, squeezing. Josh's mind was scrambling, his own hands scratching at Blurry's face.

He could see black spots in his vision, this was it. He was really going to die from making his apparantly insane co-worker happy. That's one the authorities will probably have never heard, if they could even believe it.

Just as Josh thought he was a goner, Blurry suddenly removed his hands from Josh's neck and putting them around his own head. He let out a scream, falling backwards. "Stop...doing that Tyler.." Blurry let out one more brief yell before he was falling down on the floor.

Josh got up, his mind still hazy and frantic from almost being strangled to death. He looked down at Blurryface and saw that the black on his hands and neck was disappearing, almost crawling away. Maybe that was Tyler. God, he hoped that was Tyler. Should he stand here and wait to see if it was, or leave in case it wasn't? Before he had time to decide, the body was sitting themself up, breathing heavily as if whoever it was had just run a marathon. They opened their eyes to reveal an almond color. That was a good sign, Josh just assumed it was Tyler, and hoped he was right.

Tyler looked up at Josh slowly. Neither said anything for a few seconds, but as Tyler started stuttering, trying to form a sentence, and standing himself up, Josh grabbed the knife Blurry previously dropped and held it up to Tyler.

"Don't come near me, not one step!" He yelled. Tyler didn't move, but still tried to speak.

"J-Josh, it's-it's me im so, I'm okay now. I-fuck I swear. Please don't h-hurt me."

Though this could easily be a trick, Josh's mind didn't register it, and he lowered the knife.

"Tyler, get out. I don't know how you got in here in the first place or why your other guy there tried to fucking kill me, but get the fuck out. Get out of my apartment, get out of my life." He could see the hurt in Tyler's eyes, and Josh did feel guilty, but Tyler should talk to his bruised and hurting neck.

Josh didn't put the knife down until he watched Tyler walk out. He then immediately locked the door and windows.

This was a night he'd never forget. So much for going to sleep at all now. Instead, he only sat in his room and sobbed at the trauma of the event that had just happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaa I feel like I did a semi bad job writing this like it happened all too quickly or I didn't explain enough pls dont laugh at me im a sensative little bitch that cries over any criticism (jk but not rlly)


	6. Chapter 6

It had been two days since the incident and Tyler hadn't come to work. He hadn't answered any phone calls from Jenna, and Josh had to admit, he was worried. He missed him. That's not something someone that almost got killed would say, "yeah I really miss that guy that tried murdering me." Josh couldn't help it. It was weird, not seeing Tyler's face concentrating while putting together an order, or flashing a smile at Josh when they made eye contact.

On the third day, Josh decided he couldn't take it. He needed to see Tyler, he needed to figure out where he was. He needed to talk to him.

Josh knocked on the door to Jenna's office, and opened it when he heard her say come in. He sat down in front of her and started to speak. "Hey, so I know this isn't typical, but I was wondering if you could give me Tyler's address. I'm worried about him, and I just want to make sure he's alright."

Jenna sighed. Normally I wouldn't do that, but considering the circumstances, and seeing that you two are fairly close, sure." She took out a sticky note and started copying down Tyler's address from his file. She handed it over to Josh and gave him a small smile.

"Thank you," Josh said. "I'll go when I get the chance, maybe when my shift ends today.

Jenna shook her head. "No, why don't you just go now. We have enough people to run the shop right now, just go find out what's been keeping him, alright?" Josh nodded, and with that he was out and getting in his car, typing in the address of Tyler's apartment in his GPS.

It only took a few minutes before Josh was pulling in front of a building with the sign **ABINGTON APARTMENTS** in front of it. It was only two floors, so Tyler's apartment shouldn't be too hard to find. He stepped out of his car and walked in and down the hall, searching for the door that had the number 102 in front of it.

It didn't take long before Josh was standing in front of a door with that number. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Inside, he heard footsteps nearing. That was a good sign, maybe Tyler wasn't dead. Or it could be Blurry. Fuck, Josh hadn't thought this through. The door creaked open, revealing almond colored eyes. Phew. As soon as Tyler made eye contact with Josh, though, his widened and he slammed the door shut. Fuck.

Josh spoke through the door, hoping Tyler hadn't run across his apartment unable to hear him from the distance. "Tyler, it's okay. I want to talk. I'm not going to freak out on you, and if you're stable enough to talk to me," Josh mentally hit himself, that probably sounded rude. "I'd just like to sit down and talk. Please?"

It took a few seconds before the door was being slowly opened again, revealing Tyler once more. "Yeah, um, yeah. Come in." Tyler opened the door wide enough for Josh to walk in. He stepped in the apartment. It wasn't a bad place, just messy. He turned towards Tyler where he could finally get a good glance of him, and oh god, he looked like absolute hell. Though not red (thankfully), his eyes were dull. His shirt hair was sticking up, looking like it desperately needed washed. Of course, Josh wasn't going to say that though.

Tyler was the first to speak. "Sorry about this place, wasn't expecting any visitors," he said quietly. "But come sit, if you want." He walked towards the kitchen table, Josh following and pulling out a chair to sit. "Do you um, do you want a cup of coffee or something?" Tyler said, still unsure of what things to say. Josh nodded, and Tyler started towards the coffee pot on the counter. As he was preparing it, there was awkward silence. Josh didn't even have a plan. What would he say first? Would Tyler have another freak out? Was Tyler angry for him showing up to his place uninvited?

Tyler turned around after starting the coffee pot and sat down, stirring Josh out of his thoughts.

"Hey, I'm really sorry for coming here out of nowhere. I was worried, as was Jenna, so she gave me your address. I understand if you're angry, I shouldn't have come here. It's just, you weren't answering any calls from Jenna and I didn't kno-"

Tyler cut Josh off. "It's alright. I understand. Jenna left a message said she was going to fire me if I didn't come back in a few days, and I was honestly just waiting for that. You told me to get out of your life, and I wasn't going to ignore that, especially with the circumstances it was reasoned from." Tyler shook his head. "My only question is, why are you here? Like, why were you worried? For god's sake, Josh. You almost got killed because of me. I don't know anyone else who would willingly go to their almost-murderer's house and see how they're doing." Tyler let out a slight laugh, but not necessarily a happy and cheery one.

Josh signed. "I know. I just, it wasn't really your fault. It wasn't fair to you, for me to abandon you over something that was out of your control. I'm still trying to soak up this all. Which reminds me, are you alright right now?"

Tyler nodded. "Yeah, that um," he cleared his throat. "That _guy_ hasn't really tried anything these past few days, not even now. It's almost like he has to relieve what happened too. Maybe he feels pride about it. I don't know." Tyler hung his head for a few seconds, then raised it back up. He got up and walked towards the coffee pot, pulling out a mug from the cupboard, pouring the hot liquid into the cup, not even paying attention to the fact that Josh might not like his coffee black. His mind was too distracted at the moment. He took the mug to the table, placing it in front of Josh and sitting back down. "You should know he's um, he's never done something like that, tried to hurt another human _that_ bad, let alone, um.. kill one," he cleared his throat again, obviously feeling uncomfortable talking about this. "You know, except me. He only hurts me, and only has killed animals. That's why you don't see any pets around here. You must think I'm insane, holy fuck. But I do too, so it's alright." Tyler sighed.

Josh shook his head. "No, Tyler. I don't think you're insane. It's not your fault. Stop blaming yourself." He reached across the table, grabbing Tyler's hand and rubbing it with thumb. He hoped that didn't weird Tyler out, he was just trying to comfort him. "So can you see what's happening when he's in control?"

Tyler nodded. "Yes. That's how I made him stop, at your apartment. It was too much to watch anymore. I started fighting back like I never have before." His voice was shaky like he was trying not to cry. "I can't apologize enough, Josh. I know you're absolutely traumatized. I wish I could turn back time, I wish I would have never gotten that job." Tyler couldn't help it anymore, and tears started rolling down his face. He took his hand out of Josh's grip and put both of them on his face, covering it in shame. Josh got up out of his seat and walked over to Tyler, and put his arms around him, whispering comforting things to him. After about 30 seconds, Tyler calmed down enough and Josh stepped back to look at him. He hated seeing Tyler this way, he could practically feel the hurt in his heart.

"Tyler, it's going to be okay. _You're_ going to be okay. I'm not leaving you, no matter what he does. Okay?"

Tyler looked up at him, seeming completely broken, but Josh saw a flash of hope in his face. He gave him a small closed mouth smile. Josh then noticed that his eyes flicked a red color for about half a second.

"He's laughing at me," Tyler said quietly. "He's laughing at you too." I want him to stop fucking taunting me for just one day. I want to know what it's like to be in control of your own head."

"No matter what it takes," Josh said, "I'll help you do that." He hesitated, before suddenly leaning over and placing his lips on Tyler's, cupping his face in his hands. Tyler was taken by surprise, but didn't pull back, and melted into the kiss. This was some situation they had going on. They hadn't even talked about the first kiss or their feelings for each other. Another time, though. Enough had been discussed today.

"Sorry," Josh said when he pulled his head back. "Shouldn't have done that." He said, scratching the back of his head.

Tyler only smiled. "It's okay, Josh. You're a good kisser," he said, chuckling. "He's angry, though. He's so fucking angry that I'm happy, and that someone cares about me, and it feels so good." Tyler told Josh.

"You're going to be alright, Tyler. I'm going to help you get rid of that son of a bitch." Josh said.

He only hoped that he actually could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ur comments make me so happy aaaaaa
> 
> dude okay ive been talking to this girl for a while and I am sOOoOoOOOo obsessed with her she's perfect my gay ass is shook I just wanted to kiss her stupid little face bye


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